The invention relates to a fuel tank for vehicles with devices to stabilize or calm the movements of the fuel.
It is already known to provide bulkhead walls or similar fixtures in fuel tanks; see German Pat. No. (DE-PS) 861 969. They serve to prevent fuel movements in the interior of the tank, which occur towards the outside of the curve when travelling through curves due to the influence of the centrifugal forces in action.
However, in spite of a certain calming of the fuel achieved by this means, fuel movements still remain, which in cooperation with parts of the tank walls cause noises, particularly during acceleration and deceleration, which can be found disturbing in a generally quiet vehicle.
It is therefore an object of the invention to prevent in fuel tanks a disturbing degree of such noises.
This object is achieved according to the invention by providing wall parts of the fuel tank exhibiting an internal structured surface forming calming chambers.
Due to their surface structure, the tank wall parts constructed according to the invention dissolve the wave front of the impinging fuel into a plurality of wave sections over a large area, and distribute and divert it, so that the force of the oncoming mass of fuel is effectively attenuated and swashing noises are thus reduced so that they are no longer audible in the interior of the vehicle.
The invention contemplates different constructions of the structured surface of the tank wall parts, which forms the calming chambers, for an effective reduction of swashing noises.
Such surface structures are formed directly on corresponding tank wall parts, which is particularly recommended in the case of fuel tanks blow molded from plastics in certain preferred embodiments. In the case of fuel tanks produced from sheet metal shells, on the other hand, advantageous preferred embodiments provide that the structured surface belongs to a tank insert applied to a tank wall, which is conveniently also retained in contact with the tank wall for the purpose of attenuation (frictional attenuation).
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.